Arrows & Bullets
by Caution Tape
Summary: A young, up-and-coming general, Aburame Shino is a symbol of Japan's rapid modernization, always putting his family and country first. But upon meeting a woman embodying the beauty of the dying Chinese spirit, he must choose between duty and the pursuit of happiness.
1. Introduction

This story is set in the late nineteenth-early twentieth century Asia during the First Sino-Japanese War. I am in an introductory Japanese history course, and was inspired by the rapid modernization of Japanese society during the transition from the Tokugawa to Meiji periods. Many of the themes of this story are based off of my knowledge of Japan during this time, but not everything should be taken as an accurate depiction of life during this time period. I worked hard to do research on various aspects, but most of this is fiction. I shall put footnotes in order to indicate what is factually based, but assume that the rest is from the crazy corners of my imagination.

I hope you enjoy, feel free to leave feedback, especially if you have comments about improvement or notes on historical data.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All copyrights go to Masashi Kishimoto.

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Arrows & Bullets

Introduction

August 27, 1894

* * *

"You must be so proud," Oshima Kiyomi gushed. "Your son is going to be a leading major general in the war! And he's so young, too!"

Shibi took a small sip of his tea, a blank expression on his face. Kiyomi took this as a sign to go on.

"How times have changed! If it was only a few years earlier he would have never had such an opportunity. But your son has incredible intelligence and courage. He is an admirable choice."

"Thank you for your kind words, Oshima-san," Shibi said as he set down his tea. "Shino has bestowed nothing but honor upon our family, and I do not doubt that he will do the same for our country. Although I must admit I will miss his company and his aid dearly."

"I can imagine. Ayaka will miss him dearly as well," Kiyomi replied, hardly hiding the smug grin on her face. "I fear she'll be lonely without seeing Shino."

Shibi only nodded in response. He looked towards the window of her dwelling, where he spotted Shino with Ayaka. He saw them perusing the garden, Shino pointing out a type of insect particularly useful in aiding in their silk-making process, or a species of bird that sings most beautifully in spring. Shino gestured for her to sit down on a bench with him, and Shibi saw her laugh in delight at something Shino had said. Shibi was pleased that Ayaka was fond of Shino, and that she was of generally good countenance, but he worried that Shino's view of this betrothal as duty to his family was interfering with any genuine emotion he could possibly harbor towards her. Shibi knew that Shino's duty to his country and to his family were equally important, accepting his draft into the army without any fear or disappointment, but only hopes to serve his country well. But Shibi hoped that the calculating, analytical mind and views that his son was taking with him to war would not spill over into his personal life.

Shibi sighed. The last thing he needed to be worrying about was his son's feelings towards a young woman when he was off to war. Still, he needed to take things one day at a time. And right now, he had to deal with Ayaka's mother, who was all too pleased about their little arrangement. But Shibi left that aside as he attempted to entertain his guest.

"More tea, Oshima-san?" Shibi asked. Kiyomi nodded and smiled, as she glanced out the window towards the pair in the garden.

* * *

Shino stood to walk Ayaka to their front gate, where he would see her for the last time before he left for the war. The wind blew gently around them as he faced her to say goodbye.

"Thank you so much for today, Shino," Ayaka said. "And every other day I see you. Your kindness has always made your company very enjoyable, and I look forward to seeing you after the war. I know that you will come back with great honor and distinction."

"Thank you, Ayaka-san," Shino bowed. "I wish you well."

Ayaka looked up at Shino thoughtfully. Shino knew that she wanted something more from him, something more than a formal goodbye. Shino had noticed this before, learning the way that she moved and gazed and spoke. He found out through observation when she wanted to be comforted, and when she needed to be left alone, when she needed someone to talk to, and when she wanted to listen. He knew that in order to honor his family, he needed to be an honorable husband, and in order to do so, he had figured out ways to tell what she desired. Right now, the way that she looked at him longingly and her body shifted slightly towards him implied that she wanted physical contact.

So Shino reached out, gently taking her hand and holding it for a few seconds before lightly squeezing and letting it go. She smiled and seemed satisfied, so Shino turned towards his house to see his father and her mother were walking towards them.

"I wish you the best of luck, Shino," Kiyomi said. "I am very impressed by your loyalty to your country and your family. You are more than anything I could have asked for for my daughter."

She smiled smugly once more before bowing.

"Thank you, Oshima-san," Shino said as he bowed. "I wish you both the best as well."

Ayaka threw him one last glance before they took their leave. Shino gave her a slight nod in return.

Shibi and Shino stood in silence as they watched the pair leave. As they disappeared from view, Shibi turned towards his son.

"Dinner will be ready soon. I shall call you inside when it is."

And with that, Shino was alone with his thoughts. He turned towards the sun, beginning to set in the distance. Another day ending, another day closer to deployment. Shino looked out into forest, the vastness of the land was overwhelming. Would he be a good soldier? As a fast learner with an eye for detail, he passed the extensive training with flying colors, and was chosen to lead for this reason, but he knew that an isolated camp was nothing in comparison to a real battle, taking real lives. Although he had played out many scenarios in his head, analyzing the proper response to each, would he really be able to honor his country when it came down to it? He didn't know.

As long as he could remember, he had always been able to figure things out through the powers of observation. He was patient, but picked up on things rapidly. It was how he charmed Ayaka, how he aided his father in creating a prosperous silk business, and how he became promoted to such a high rank in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was going to command thousands of soldiers in the Second Division of the Second Japanese army. Although he knew in general how to inspire his men, what to say and what to do, he wondered if it would be enough. He knew that as a soldier you needed more than just intelligence and courage and big Western guns. The only problem was was that he hadn't quite figured out what he would need when fighting in the war.

With that thought, his father called him in for dinner. He glanced at the sunset once more, and thought that the problem could wait at least just one more day.

End

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Hope you enjoyed! So basically:

1. Family duty and national duty were extremely importance and equivalent in terms of levels of importance in the Meiji period.  
2. In 1868, Japan decreed that there would be a universal draft for the first time in its history.  
3. Official marriages were uncommon in Japan before this era, but they started to use them in order to seem more civilized to the West.  
4. The Japanese needed to compete with the West because of the arrival of Commodore Perry of America in the mid-1800's who basically said, "Open your ports or we'll open them for you." So Japan sort of said "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." And thus, they began to colonize China, thus the First Sino-Japanese war and the development of Western military technology.

Please leave me a review! It would make me very happy! Please also let me know if you're confused or you see grammatical mistakes and what not. OH! And if you'd be interested in beta-ing, because I scan my writing because I get bored of reading what I know I've said.

Until next time!

Caution Tape


	2. Chapter 1

This chapter took a lot of work, as I searched the internet fervently to find sources on what battles were like during this time period, particularly in the First Sino-Japanese war. I hope that it came out alright, and that you guys enjoy! :) And even though I put a lot of effort into research, it was also all very interesting! If you have any questions regarding all this, please feel free to ask.

Also, to I like Angst, who left me an anon review: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you appreciate the history. :) I hope I can be informative as well as entertaining when writing this, so I'm glad your interested in both aspects. Thanks again!

As in the intro, footnotes at the end to explain my factual basis.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters used in this story. All copyrights go to Masashi Kishimoto.

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Arrows & Bullets

Chapter 1

November 10th, 1894

* * *

"Oi, Shino!" Inuzuka Kiba walked into their shared tent. "How've you been holding up?"

Shino glared at his subordinate. "Don't you have a brigade to run, Colonel?"

"Not everyone has to constantly watch their men," Kiba said, flashing Shino a grin. He crossed his arms. "They're old enough to take care of themselves. We have to learn to let our children grow on their own, Mommy."

"I hope that does not make you the father."

"Like you could score someone with half my charm and good looks," Kiba chided. "But honestly, how have you been holding up? Only eight wounded and the Marshal's favorite major general is one of 'em. I understand taking one for the team, but really, I think you're confusing courage for stupidity."

Shino chose to ignore the last bit. "I am recovering well. Though I fear that I won't be able to take part in the siege of Port Arthur," he stated.

"You never know, it's still ten days away. But it'd be much less annoying around camp if we just left you here."

Shino attempted to look as menacing as possible while lying on the ground. Kiba smiled, and knelt down to clap and hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be outside babysitting. Let me know if you need anything." Shino nodded, and Kiba got up and left their dwelling.

His left arm was wrapped in gauze, and he was still lightheaded from the blood loss, but he was not so injured that he was sent back home. It was only a day after the siege of Jinzhou and Dalian Bay (1). The fights, if you could even call them that, were short and easy. The men were calling it an event unlike any other in Japanese military history. No Japanese were killed, and only a few wounded. Shino just happened to be one of the lucky ones. He was exhausted, but no one, especially not Kiba, would be allowed to see it. The events of the past few days were so crazy that he could hardly remember what happened when.

* * *

"Alright men, lets move out!" Marshall Oyama shouted. "After such success in Korea (2), we cannot fail our country now."

Shino grabbed his riffle and hoisted it over his shoulder, jumping off the ship and onto the beach of the Liaodong Peninsula (3). He led his men onto the beach, pausing only to look back at the ship as it left, the Imperial Japanese Army flag (4) waving in the wind. After all of the troops had reached the shore and set up camp, Marshal Oyama called in Shino and the other two major generals of the 2nd army to review their plans for the siege on Port Arthur.

"The plan is basically unchanged from the one set in Korea, but I shall go over it in more detail in order for our attack to be more organized. In order to reach Port Arthur, we must first capture Jinzhou and Dalian bay. There are two main roads that lead to Jinzhou which meet just to the south. At 0400 on the 4th, we will take just one of the roads to ensure that we all of our troops arrive at once, but then split up once we reach their intersection to launch a two-sided attack. I believe that there are not enough Chinese troops stationed at Jinzhou to defend it on more than one front. We should hopefully arrive by the end of the day, around 1800. Aburame, I want you to lead the troops to Jinzhou, and remain on the east side with me. Yamaji and Saito will go around with their troops to launch the attack from the West. We will wait for their signal, and then move in simultaneously. Once they surrender, we will leave a few troops behind to monitor. We will then wait to hear from the Imperial Japanese Navy that they have secured Dalian bay. We will then move to Port Arthur. Understood?" (5)

"Yes sir!" The three major generals shouted in unison

"Alright, dismissed."

Shino, Yamaji, and Saito saluted Oyama before leaving. Shino walked back to the tent he shared with his three colonels, Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, and Hyuuga Neji. He had known Kiba since they were kids, and when they were both enlisted into the army, Kiba did almost just as well at their training, with only Shino surpassing him to become his commanding officer. With an ongoing rivalry since they were small, Kiba was not happy that he had to serve under Shino's command, but they both had the utmost respect for each other's capabilities. Kiba ran one of the infantry brigades. Shikamaru was the head of the engineering brigade. He was incredibly clever, but did not have much ardor for the hands-on fighting. He preferred intellect over brute force. Neji was also very intelligent, but was a very capable fighter with eyes like a hawk. Neji ran another one of the infantry brigades.

Shino relayed the details of the plan for his colonels and dismissed them. Alone in the tent, he began to get ready for bed. Shino looked at his watch. It was almost 2100 on the 3rd of November. He had been out here for almost two months now. He sighed. He knew it was going to be a long while before he was able to head home. He started to unpack his things, and found the few letters he had received. A few from his father and a few from Ayaka. He had never opened them, as he was always took every opportunity for downtime to sleep, but they served to remind him that he had people back home waiting for him. People he had a duty to protect and to return to. Alive. Maybe he'd use that to motivate his men tomorrow, he thought. He laid down and closed his eyes. They were all tired, but they had to move on. His men could have the utmost respect for Shino, but Shino knew that he had to inspire something within his men, had to make them self-motivated, if they were going to remain successful. The only problem was was that he couldn't figure out what it is that he needed to inspire within his men. He was still facing the problem that he had before he left for war. They had reasons to be fighting this war, they had courage beyond anything Shino had even believed possible, and they had every reason to believe that they would be successful, but there was something else. Something Shino couldn't quite understand yet. Soon sleep enveloped him, and the problem was pushed off for yet another day.

"Today," Shino stated, pacing in front of his men after waking them up for the day's attack. "marks our first encounter since leaving Korea. We must use our momentum from our victories to secure another. While it may seem like every new battle is a new chance for death, you cannot view it as such. Why? Because it is also a new chance for you to honor your country. A new chance for you to honor your family. A new chance to rid the world of oppression. A new chance to save the life of one of your fellow soldiers. And most of all, it is a chance for you to succeed. At what? At staying alive. To stay alive means to be able to see the shores of our homeland once more. To taste the crisp air and see the sakura blossoms. To walk up the path to your home, and embrace your wife and child. To laugh and to smile once more with the ones you love. That is why we must secure another victory. We fight for our lives, we fight for our families, and we fight for Japan. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Thousands of booming voices reverberated back at him.

"Then lets move out!" Shino grabbed his rifle, swung it over his shoulder, and led his men on the path to Jinzhou.

They reached Jinzhou as expected, just a little after 1800. Marshal Oyama and Shino and his men stayed at the gate to the city on the east side, while Yamaji and Saito moved onto the west. They set up camp, and spent the night outside the gate, waiting for the signal from the other two divisions that they had reached the other side. At around 0600 the next morning, they received the signal and Shino began to lead the attack towards the gate.

The road to Jinzhou was relatively open, but there were trees on either side. Shino and the Marshal led their march towards the gate with Neji and a couple of his men in the very front to keep a lookout. Once they reached the gate, Neji reported on the protection. The gate was defended by two forts, with four guns mounted on each. and they were forced to take the gate by storm. On the Marshals orders, Shino began to advance his men.

"Guns at the ready!" Shino ordered. Shino and his men began to move quickly towards the gate. As Shino and his men began to move into view, he wondered why there was no fire. None of the guns seemed to even be pointed at them.

"Halt! Keep an eye out for suspicious behavior!" Shino became worried, and looked around. On the ground, there was about a 30 foot marking in the shape of a cross. Although Shino was doubtful that this was the reason, he didn't want to take any chances.

"Fall back!" he shouted. "Move!" His men fell back into trees on the side of the road.

Just as Shino managed to get back in time, they heard the explosion of a mine. All of the soldiers stared incredulously at Shino. Marshal Oyama clapped a hand on his shoulder. (7)

"Good work, Aburame. Now lets go, while they are vulnerable."

With the mine exploding the gate as well, the soldiers easily filed into the city. There were a few shooters on the roofs of the building, but Neji quickly took them out. With a quick lapse in fire, Shino gave his orders to his men.

"Inuzuka, take your men to the north of the city. Nara, take your men to the south. Hyuuga, you're with me. Now lets move!"

The streets were fairly vacant, but they had to go through a marketplace in order to reach the heart of the city.

"Hyuuga, take a few of your men into the marketplace. I'll cover you, and once we clear it out we'll bring in the rest to storm the heart of the city. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

As they entered the marketplace, Neji and his men began clear out some of the stalls. There was loud gunfire from up above, and Shino began to shoot at some of the men in the upper floors of the buildings. Neji and his men took out the few that were on the ground fairly quickly, and Shino had managed to clear out the snipers. They had almost managed to make it through the marketplace when Shino saw a tiny bit of movement in one of the windows of the second story of one of the buildings. He saw a man with a rifle at the ready, aiming at Neji's back, and before he knew it he simultaneously threw himself in front of the fire while shooting back. The man went down, but so did Shino.

"Commander!" Neji shouted. He turned to his men. "Scour the area again! Send the rest of the troops through!"

He turned back towards Shino, pulling out gauze from his pack and wrapping it around the wound in Shino's arm. Shino knew the wound wasn't fatal, but he was losing blood fast.

The last thing Shino saw before losing consciousness was the ship that dropped him off just two days earlier, his country's flag waving in the wind.

* * *

Shino touched the gauze on his arm, wincing slightly. He managed to sit up before Kiba re-entered their tent.

"By the way, the Marshal wants to see you."

Shino nodded, and got dressed. He entered the tent of Marshal Oyama.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Marshal Oyama handed him a few sheets of paper. "Read these. You'll need them when you go to Weihaiwei."

"Excuse me?"

Marshal Oyama sighed. "Look, Aburame. You're the best major general I've got. According to Nara, you saved about 100 lives from that mine. But that move you pulled in the marketplace means that you can't fight at Port Arthur."

"I was only taking responsibility for my actions. I missed one of the snipers. I did not want Colonel Hyuuga to suffer for my mistakes."

"While I understand that, you can't just jump in front of bullets without thinking about the consequences. I know you're a smart man, Aburame. I'm confident that we'll be able to take Port Arthur, as I've just confirmed with the Navy that we have control of Dalian Bay, and after that we're moving on to Weihaiwei. I want you go gather intel that could be useful on our siege. Report back to me on your findings every so often. The siege will take place in January."

Shino was baffled. "Forgive me, sir, but I am to wait out a winter in Manchuria by myself with a gunshot wound in my arm?"

"You will not be alone for long. Inuzuka will be taking over your division in your absence for Port Arthur, but he will join you in Weihaiwei while we combine forces with the First Japanese Army for the siege in January. Besides, there is not much we can do about your wound now. It is stitched up and just needs time. Time where you won't be able to do anything but be a burden on your men. You leave for Weihaiwei tomorrow morning at 0500, sharp."

Shino opened his mouth to ask for more details, but Marshal Oyama motioned for him to leave. "Dismissed."

Shino walked back to his tent, reading the papers in his hands. He was to scope out the terrain, the amount of troops, their weapons, and points of weakness all while "blending in" with the people there. Shino wasn't happy, but he knew that if that was the best way he could serve his country, he would do it.

Shino entered his tent, and Kiba was there, getting ready for bed.

"No gloating?" Shino asked. "No taunting about your new position?"

Kiba frowned. "I didn't earn this position. You did. And I only received it because my best friend got shot. Do you think that's much to gloat about?"

He got up. "You're a good major general, Shino. And I have no doubts that you will be able to prove yourself once you take charge of your men once more in Weihaiwei," he stated. "But if you tell anyone I said that, i'll deny it."

Shino nodded and reached out his hand. "Good luck, Major General Inuzuka."

Kiba smirked. "It's so nice to hear you say it."

"I'm sure you've said it enough times for the both of us in your countless fantasies."

Kiba whacked Shino on his good shoulder, and left so Shino could pack his things for his long journey the next day.

End

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Whew! That was a lot! I hope you got through it okay? Any parts too boring or too weird? Lemme know! I really wanted to crank this out, and so there might be some errors, but hopefully not too many!

Onto the footnotes! Which I hope some people read even though they're sort of long and boring...

1. Siege of Jinzhou (or Chin-chow, as I've seen it called) and Dalian (or Ta-lien, as I've seen it called) Bay took place on the 6-7 of November 1894. They were extremely quick and had no casualties as indicated, and was run by Marshal Oyama of the Japanese 2nd Army. It was considered the most important siege after those of Port Arthur and Weihaiwei. I am not sure if the 2nd division (the one I made Shino run) took part in this siege, but I know the army that that division was in was in it. It was a move in order to attack Port Arthur (or Lushunkou) from the land to the north where Jinzhou was located and from the sea in the south.

2. The Japanese seized Korea in mid-September of 1894 with the fall of Pyongyang, forcing the Chinese back into Manchuria, where Japan hoped to seize Weihaiwei and Port arthur. That's where the 2nd Army came in.

3. The Liaodong Peninsula is a peninsula of Manchuria. It is that little peninsula jutting out of when you go just to the left of the westernmost border of North Korea. Port Arthur is basically at the very end of the southern tip of this peninsula.

4. The Imperial Japanese Army's flag is the one with the red sun in the middle with the red beams extending out on all sides, and, in case you didn't know why Japan's flag has that red sun, it's because the long line of emperors of Japan, claim descent from Amaterasu, the sun goddess. That's where they legitimate their power. Also because Japan is the first country to see daylight in Asia, thus "rising sun."

5. This was the actual strategy for taking Jinzhou, but I couldn't find out how Dalian Bay was taken, so I just left it up to the Navy. (Teehee :D)

6. That's supposedly why the Japanese went to war with China. To "free" Korea from Chinese oppression, as it was one of their colonies. But really, they sort of just wanted to prove their badass-ness, but that's debatable. I mean, does it really make a country "free" if you're just moving it from one colonial power to another?

7. Set up of the gate and the incident with the mine all real.

So, it was really hard to make Shino make a speech because really, the guy doesn't say much. But I hope I kept it in character. As the leader of a division, I think it's sort of necessary. So let me know what you think! Reviews make me the happiest person in the world. :)

Until next time!

Caution Tape


	3. Chapter 2

Happy New Year! Gah I'm so sad I haven't been able to write recently. Between finals and gifts and holiday parties and blah I've been pooped. But I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

I also had trouble introducing Tenten. I wasn't sure if I wanted to show her POV or just introduce her from Shino's. Lemme know what you think!

Hope you enjoy, and thanks to my reviewers! Means a lot to me. :)

* * *

Arrows & Bullets

Chapter 2

November 14th-16th, 1894

* * *

"Tenten! We must celebrate! You have received such a great honor! Imagine making arrows for the army! What a magnificent job we have!" Lee clasped his hands together and gushed as Tenten chuckled.

"Thanks, Lee. But with an order this large, I don't think I'll have time to celebrate. I have to get working," Tenten put her cup of tea down and stood up to go to her workshop. "Let me know if you need anything. See to it that anyone that comes is taken care of?"

"Of course! I'll be towards the front of the shop doing my training. One day I shall be a great soldier and be able to wield one of your marvelous weapons in battle myself!" Lee flashed Tenten a grin.

Tenten opened the door to her workshop. She turned around and gave him a smile back. "I know you will, Lee."

Tenten carefully lifted a batch of pieces of steel from her forge. She carefully hammered and chiseled each piece until they were in the shape of an arrow tip. She smiled and put another batch of steel into her forge for heating. This is what she was meant to do. If she couldn't join the army, she was going to serve them by making the best damn weapons she could, even if she wasn't technically allowed to do that either. With no parents and no prospects, Tenten knew that she would never be able to do what was expected of a woman: marry. But she had to make a living somehow. Because she had always had a knack for working with her hands and with handling weapons, it was only natural that she learned the trade of blacksmithing. She eventually convinced her friend Lee, who was always set on joining the army and just needed a place to train, to pretend to run her shop. No one would buy weapons from a woman.

However, industrialization was beginning to take its hold. No one needed tools crafted by hand if they could do it quickly and cheaply within a factory. She heard that it was taking hold of many of the countries in the West, and Japan as well. It would only be a matter of time before she became obsolete. Thats why it was so lucky to receive an order from the army. Because the government didn't want to give the peasants a means to access guns and rifles to rebel, they trained their army strictly as horsemen with bows and arrows. Even though they were using guns in this war with the Japanese, they also wanted bows and arrows. Arms were in short supply because they were all from foreign manufacturers and most of the men were more familiar with archery.

Tenten continued to work diligently throughout the day. She fashioned each arrow with the utmost care, knowing its importance to her country's future. In her opinion, the skill of their warriors would secure them the victory, no matter how much fancy technology the Japanese trucked in.

Lee eventually called to her that he had prepared dinner, and she put her work aside for a little break.

* * *

Shino walked through the streets of Weihaiwei leisurely. If he was being honest, he really had no idea what he was doing here. It was painfully obvious that they would crush the Chinese army and easily take their ports. Built with the assistance of Germans, the Qing base at Weihaiwei was crucial to the access of Beijing, and was rumored to be impregnable. However, he doubted that the remnants of the Beiyang fleet and the Beiyang army would be able to defend it. Even though they may have had Western help, in general, the Chinese seemed like an archaic people. He knew that Japan admired China greatly in the past, but the Western powers now had their attention. China seemed to remain true to it's culture, but with a few foreign implements here and there. He wondered if they would be using Western weapons. He planned to investigate one of the weapons facilities that night before telling Marshall Oyama about the research he conducted. Shino looked at a clock on the wall. 2:30. Still plenty of time to kill before nightfall. He decided it might be a nice time to just enjoy the city sights.

As he walked down one of the main streets, he noticed a commotion around a small circle of men. They all seemed to be cheering someone on and making bets on who was going to win. As he slipped his way in towards the center of the circle, he noticed that they were betting on crickets that were fighting one another. He frowned slightly. What sort of men would pit those poor creatures against one another? He turned to see cages of them lining a shop. His frown deepened. The sport seemed so absurd, not to mention a waste of time.

He stepped out of the circle and stood in front of the shop. He examined one of the captive crickets. It sat quietly before setting its sights on Shino. Shino put his hand on the outside of the cage, looking at how they were locked. He was never much of a vigilante, he thought, but he might just have to make an exception.

He moved on, staring at other various shops. He noticed a buttons and notions shop, advertising things that were hand sewn from the capital, as well as garments from Western countries such as France and England. He also noticed a grocery store with signs mentioning locally grown produce and delicacies from the Western seas. He paused briefly to ponder how important foreign imports were to the Chinese economy. What a strange paradox of old and new.

As Shino continued down the street, he passed a bookstore that piqued his interest. Shino was an avid reader, and he thought it couldn't hurt to pick up a book or two. As he entered, he was greeted by the shopkeeper. He responded in Chinese, hoping that it wasn't too rusty from his days in school and that it wouldn't give away his nationality. He browsed the shelves, and noticed that there were quite a few martial arts novels. He looked through the various titles. They ranged from instructional guides to fictional stories to historical accounts. Shino was a bit confused as to their significance, but decided to buy one to see if he could learn anything about the culture.

As he stepped out of the store, he stopped to let a group of children run by. They seemed to be carrying various paper toys and lanterns. How different, he mused, from the trains and other mechanical toys the children of Japan played with.

He returned to the grocery store he saw earlier and proceeded to buy a few things to prepare dinner. He had set up a small camp just outside the city, and planned to eat a quick meal there before investigating the weapons facility after nightfall.

* * *

As Shino stood in front of the shop, he hoped he hadn't gotten an incorrect address. It was one story and quite plain looking besides the advertisements in the front for blacksmithing work. He expected a large factory, not a small workshop. Still, he figured that appearances might be deceiving and decided to check it out.

Shino was always a quiet presence, and his favorite part of his military training was stealth. He ranked at the top of his class, and was always asked to lead missions at night. He snuck into the garden in the back of the building with ease, not making a sound. He was about to make his way across the garden to enter the building when he noticed a mulberry tree with a small worm was crawling on one of the branches. It was heading toward one of the few remaining leaves. He was suddenly struck with memories of home. He still hadn't opened letters from his father of his fiancé, and was wondering if he should. He also wondered about the worms back on their trees and how they were doing. He instinctively reached out to touch it when he felt an arrow pin his shirt to the tree.

Shino's head snapped in the direction it came from while he reached to pull a pistol out of his pocket. But before he could reach it another arrow pinned his other arm. Shino frowned. He motioned to rip the sleeves of his jacket free from the arrows, but a sword was at his throat.

"Not so fast, mysterious visitor," a female voice cooed. "Where do you think you're going? You came to me. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Shino stayed silent. He examined the woman in front of him. She was smiling at him, piercing him with fierce brown eyes. Her auburn hair was tied into two buns. She was dressed much like a man, and it was obvious she had the muscles of one. She slid the blade lightly along his throat. She placed an arrow through the fabric at his left hip into the tree.

"You're not from around here," she stated, taking another one and doing the same to his right hip. "Looking to buy something? The entrance is on the other side, you know."

"I am quite aware of that," Shino calmly replied. She took out another arrow, kneeling and placing it into the fabric at his ankle while pressing the blade further into his throat drawing a small trickle of blood, daring him to move.

Tenten smiled. "You're Japanese," she chuckled, repeating the process to the other ankle. "And an important person in the army, by the looks of it. You're wounded and here as a spy. I should have assumed as much."

She took another arrow out, holding it in the air. "I was watching you the whole time, waiting to see how you'd try to get in," she said, shoving the arrow right below his groin rather forcefully. Shino had no reaction.

Instead, he picked up her sentence. "But I got distracted by your silk worms. Why? I have many back home."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "You make silk," she smirked. "What is a silk farmer doing as a Japanese spy?"

Shino matched her expression. "What is a woman doing as an archer?"

"Careful now," Shino felt a slight pressure in his abdomen as she produced a dagger, keeping her sword at his neck steady. "Women could be just as good as men, we're just never given the chance. But I think you've interrupted enough of my sleep. Why shouldn't I just kill you now?"

Shino turned to look at the silk worm, still struggling to reach a leaf. The leaves were falling, as it was getting closer to winter. He wondered if the silk worm would live. The tree wasn't in great condition.

"I can help you with your mulberry tree. I can see that you have taken great care of it, but I know certain methods of maintaining it's health through the winter. This will save the silk worms as well."

The woman laughed. "You really do care about them, don't you? Have you heard the story of Jia Sidao?"

Shino didn't respond.

"You would have liked him. Legend has it that he was a powerful man. He was a prominent general during the Song dynasty and had protected the country for many decades. He was also one of the last prime ministers of that dynasty. He was going to lead a great retaliation against the invading Mongols, and we were expected to regain some of the land they had taken. However, he was so fascinated by insects that he sank into an maniacal obsession, leaving the country defenseless. He remained in such a state for the rest of his days."

"Maybe you'll turn out like him," she said cheerfully.

"Unlikely. Why? I have maintained such an obsession while winning many battles."

The woman smiled. "Tell me. Why do you fight?"

Shino answered without hesitation. "To protect the honor of my country and my family."

Her eyes softened. "If I was allowed to fight, that would be my motivation as well."

She confiscated his pistol and hid it in her shirt. "While I would love to join in the fun with my brothers in slaughtering you murderous bastards, I'd like to spare your life. I know that my country's skill and honor will outmatch your cockiness. But I can't just let you go for free."

She grabbed his face and pulled both his eyelids away from it, carving characters into the sensitive skin. It was all so fast Shino didn't even comprehend what was going on until he felt the pain.

"Just a little something to remember me by," she whispered softly in his ear. "Feel free to stop by for tea. I'm assuming your army is still stationed in Port Arthur. You have a long time until your defeat here."

She disappeared back into the building, taking her arrows away all at once with invisible wires. Shino looked at the building briefly before clutching his eyes and making his escape.

* * *

_Marshall Oyama,_

_The Chinese are still working on defenses, consisting of a series of twelve land fortifications overlooking the entrances to the harbor, equipped with Krupp and Armstrong cannons, as well as two fortified islands in the bay. The entrances to the harbor are closed off to prevent attacks from outside, and the remaining ships of Beiyang Fleet will be anchored inside. These include some 15 warships and 13 torpedo boats. I believe that although it is rumored that it cannot be breached, I feel that with a distraction and a division of our forces, we will be able to defeat them. I also have reason to believe that they will not only be using firearms, but also bows and arrows. Even though I feel that our victory will be swift, I would not underestimate these people. They seem to have quite a bit of spirit._

_I wish you the best of luck in Port Arthur. I will acquire more information and report back soon._

_Major General Aburame_

Shino placed a stamp on his letter and removed the gauze from his eyes as he prepared to head to the post office. It had taken him two days to be able to open his eyes without excruciating pain. He traced the scar with his index finger. She had taken great care to write characters in a small space, missing the muscles that control eyelid movement as well as his tear ducts. Each eye had the same characters, and together they spelled out a name, presumably that of the woman:

Tenten.

He hid his scarred eyes underneath a wide brimmed hat and quickly navigated the streets. He delivered the letter and took a detour to pass the shop where he had incurred the injuries just nights before. He stood across the street and took in its innocent appearance. He thought about the woman he had encountered, her bold attitude and eyes as piercing as her arrows. She was dangerous, but intriguing. He wanted a rematch, and this time he would not be so easily taken.

As he began to walk away he noticed a shop that sold glasses next door. There were many different pairs in the window but one stood out to him in particular: a frame with tinted lenses.

After he purchased the glasses, he quickly discarded the hat and glanced at the blacksmith shop before returning to his camp.

Maybe he would accept her invitation for tea.

End

* * *

Okay, so I don't know if my eyelid thing is actually legit without making someone blind, but this is fiction and I have artistic license, right?

Yay! So happy to be writing again! Hope you enjoyed and please review!

So this time I tried to integrate more of the history I learned into the piece, but there are still things that I need to talk about here. :) Theres also this wonderful BBC website that has more info on late 19th century Chinese history. It was really great and it's what I got all my information from. The link is on my profile. Onto the info!

The reasons that China still used bows and arrows mentioned early in this chapter are true.

During earlier dynasties, such as the Tang with it's capital of Chang'an, it was more common to keep residential areas, commercial ares and government buildings separat, with the city broken up into distinct gridlines. However, during the Qing dynasty, which lasted from 1644-1911, it was more common for shopkeepers to have living quarters above or behind their shop.

The Qing naval base at Weihaiwei had been designed with the assistance of German military advisors, and was regarded by western observers as superior to Hong Kong. Captain William M. Lang, a British military advisor seconded to the Beiyang Fleet had boasted that the base was impregnable as late as autumn 1894, and had scoffed at rumors that the Japanese were planning to attack it. The defenses I wrote in the letter are accurate to my knowledge.

The relationship between China and Western technology was very interesting during this time. I'm sure you noticed that I used Western time in an old piece, but the Chinese did in fact use Western wall clocks. However, they were very hesitant to use any Western technology at all. A lot of it was in order to maintain their culture, but this hesitancy cost them quite a bit when the Western Powers, and Japan, came knocking, as they did not have the technology to fight them.

Most Japanese students during that time period learned Chinese as well as Japanese, not just because kanji is an important part of written Japanese language, but because China was revered for a long time and it was seen as scholarly to know the language.

A garden was a considered a luxury during this time period. That is why I tried to make Shino use it as leverage.

I also had to do research on glasses. The concept of sunglasses had been around for a long time, and in the 19th century I have read that they were a sign of syphilis because one of it's symptoms is sensitivity to light, but they became popular in the 1920's with movie stars. I figured with this time being sort of in between I could just stick 'em on Shino. :)

REVIEW AND I WILL BE SO HAPPY! Lemme know about typos, too. I didn't look over this too carefully.


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